The Breath of Water | Neteyam

21 • Tìmal

A/N: trust

When Liyanin came over, she saw Neteyam standing next to Masanai. What a random combination, she thought. But Neteyam soon noticed her once he saw she was coming, and so he then bid farewell to the girl and made his way over to Liyanin.

"We kind of ended abruptly yesterday, no?" he stated, a laugh escaping his lips near the end of the sentence.

"Yeah, because of you~" Liyanin teased back, lightly hitting his shoulder. "...well, since you are here now, I am assuming that you are ready?"

He nodded, rubbing his sides out of nervousness. "...where exactly did I stop the lesson at?"

She walked up to him, grabbing his arms, trying to examine what they look like as she spoke. "...just a few exercises..." she then placed her hand on his stomach, causing him to tense up a bit. "...your stomach is still too...constricted. You have to be able to trust the water if you expect to share its breath." she explained. He nodded again, trying not to showcase how nervous he was by averting his gaze to the sand.

"...I am trying...this is very difficult..." he said.

Liyanin continued to stare at his abdomen, and soon, an emotion that seemed like disappointment appeared on her face. "...I have never taught you the Way of Water, did I?" she asked him, her hand still on his stomach, but she was now looking up at his face. Her sudden attention avert to himself caught him off guard, making him jump slightly.

"...what...is the Way of Water...?" he asked sheepishly.

"Ah, this makes sense now," Liyanin grabbed him by the arm, leading him into the ocean. They only went knee deep into the water, then she turned to face Neteyam.

"The Way of Water is an ancient recitation that us reef Na'vi live by," she placed her hands into the water. "...it reminds us of our relationship with the sea."

Neteyam nodded slightly, understanding what she was saying.

"I will recite it to you now. You must remember this, not with your head, but with your heart."

"I...understand."

"...The way of water has no beginning and no end. The sea is around you and in you. The sea is your home, before your birth and after your death..."

As she spoke, the waves that were once calm, were now starting to build up ferocity. Neteyam hadn't noticed though, for his eyes were closed and all that was in his head was the verse that was being delivered to him.

"...Our hearts beat in the womb of the world. Our breath burns in the shadows of the deep. The sea gives and the sea takes..."

Now the wind began to pick up, it wasn't too strong, but it was definitely stronger than what it previously was. It was at this moment Neteyam had noticed the shift in the weather, the sudden breezes making him open his eyes. He looked around, now seeing how much the water had changed. He had an urge to tell Liyanin to look, but the familiar sight reminded him of how she reacted the last time this had happened. He was absolutely dumbfounded. But a part of him felt content, as if what was going on was common, so his confusion had settled somewhat, and so he ended up closing his eyes again.

"...Water connects all things...life to death, darkness to light."

Once she had finished, everything that was disturbed was now settling back to its normalcy. When they both came to, they saw how their hands were holding the other's. This shocked the both of them...but they didn't let go. Instead, Liyanin smiled a small smile, then looked up at Neteyam. She saw him form a small smile as well, and then she took a step forward, placing their hands on his chest.